literature

Vampirism Ch.3

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The snow came down so thick that the ambulance’s lights barely reached the hotel from the parking lot. The siren, however, was more than capable of cutting through the storm, successfully attracting the attention of many curious hotel guests. The emergency response engineers, one a former steward and the other a human, cut through the growing crowd with their hovering gurney and made their way to Nos-4-a2 and Eve Two’s hotel room. They found Nos in a daze, still holding his Eve. The Energy Vampire wasn’t working at full capacity, processors scrambled after having his protocols override his free will. It took a bit of persuasion to convince him to let Two go. Once he did, the SECUR-T used his containment beam to lean her back onto the gurney, activating the restraining beams to keep her in place.

“Please come with us, sir. We can start treating both of you in the ambulance, then you can tell us what happened,” the human engineer coaxed. No longer clinging to Two, Nos took a moment to look at both of the engineers: the SECUR-T’s lights were red, the screen on his front bearing a white Rod of Asclepius on a dark blue background. The human had a matching symbol on the breast of her uniform, wearing her black hair in a tight bun to keep it out of her dark, almond-shaped eyes.

Nos wanted to say that he didn’t need any treatment, but he stopped himself when he saw the people peering in from across the hall. He decided it would be best to save any conversation for privacy. The SECUR-T turned his lights on and hovered out before the gurney, clearing a path through the inquisitive guests, the human staying back to walk with Nos. He toned his sensors down to ignore the robotic onlookers, but it didn’t do much to ease his mind. He wanted to keep talking to Two ‒ he had to stop himself a few times, not wanting to give the engineers any more reasons to worry about him. Still, he must have looked unstable, for the woman took his elbow to guide him from the front door of the hotel to the ambulance.

The snow whirled into flame around the SECUR-T’s and ambulance’s lights as the gurney hovered into the middle of the vehicle and fastened itself to the floor. The SECUR-T went in next, going straight to a niche in the corner. The human helped Nos sit on a narrow metal bench against the wall of the truck before she hopped in and pulled the doors shut. The ambulance started moving, and the woman went to work right away. Nos watched her fit Two with a restraining boot before she started attaching wires and sensors to specific places all over her frame, taking readings, making assessments, and giving her power. He reached out to grip the railing on the side of the gurney, willing Two to know that he was there, he was going to stay with her, he would make sure that everything was alright.

“Excuse me, sir?”

Nos looked over at the SECUR-T bot. The little camera below his row of lights was trained on Nos’s optics.

“My name is Hermes. Angelina is taking care of Two ‒ we’re going to do everything we can to make sure you’re both fully repaired and restored, so you can relax now. We’ll be reaching the Wesley North Robotics Center in half an hour, and we have all the equipment necessary to keep her condition stable until then.” Hermes’s voice was smooth and rehearsed. Angelina kept focused on her task, opening several screens, but a reassuring smile flitted over her countenance.

“...Thank you. I’m Nos-4-a2,” he uttered.

“Do you think you can tell us a little more about what happened?” Hermes prompted.

“Yes, but... it’s complicated. I wasn’t there when she crashed. I found her unconscious in the snow, so I took her inside and called right away. She woke up and I tried to ask her what happened, but all she said was something about altitude – I think she must have been high up when the storm hit. She wasn’t working right, her battery was punctured – ” Nos pointed to the soaked sheet around Two’s middle “ – she told me her auxiliary power was failing.”

“Hermes,” Angelina interrupted, “we’re getting some really strange readings here.”

“Yes,” Nos whispered. His vision started spotting. “I didn’t have a choice...”

“A choice, Nos-4-a2?”

“No, she was so scared, I thought I might lose her any minute, I couldn’t just let her go like that, I had to do something, even if it might not work, no matter how much it’s going to hurt her if it does work...”

“Sir, please, calm down. Can you tell us what you did?”

“I’m not sure how,” the lines around Nos’s optics drew deeper, “It’s never been done before, it wasn’t ever supposed to work this way, but I had to do something – ”

“Please, if you don’t explain it to us, we won’t be able to help her. Can you tell us what you did?” Hermes kept his tone perfectly level.

“I’m sorry, this... it’s such a long story, I just don’t have it in me... you’ll have to contact my primary engineer,” Nos shook his head.

“I’ll thank you for their contact information, but if we can’t reach them, we’ll need you to tell us yourself. Is there anything we can do to make you more comfortable? If you’ve suffered trauma, we will be able to treat you more thoroughly once we’ve reached the Center.”

“Yes... I’d appreciate a spare power cell, if you have one. Any kind, any kind... And my engineer is Dr. Darickson of the Axiom Robotics Laboratory.”

“Actually... I think I’ve heard of him,” Angelina looked up from one of the monitors, “Isn’t he a researching xenoroboticist? I didn’t think any of them worked on Earth.”

Nos-4-a2 nodded, taking the battery that Hermes offered with his suspension beam. “‘Xeno-’ is right, but he has a penchant for fixating on projects and not letting go. I’m staying on Earth ‒ so is he,” Nos grumbled before sinking his fangs into the casing.

Angelina’s eyes darted from the Energy Vampire’s meal to the clean holes drilled just below Two’s head. “Right, I’ll send word ahead to the lab... we’re definitely going to need a specialist.”
EDIT 8/21/16: How do you explain that you're a fully-functioning robot vampire? Nos sure doesn't know how, especially not with the headache he's nursing.

So this chapter was completely redone from scratch. It's a bit shorter than the old version, but I think it does a better job! Whether you're new to this story or you've read the old one, I hope you're enjoying it! Things are going to be different this time around, and I like it much more.


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-----FROM 1/2/14-----
Sorry this one took so much longer, I ended up having to completely scrap the original chapter and start anew instead of just changing the perspective.  I think it came out quite nicely. :3

Everyone please welcome:  Dr. Patrick Darickson!  If you hadn't noticed on the timeline, he's a pretty important character.



If you are confused, please refer to the timeline featured on my profile.

Disclaimer: All elements of Buzz Lightyear of Star Command and Wall.E (c) Disney/Pixar.

All stories are subject to change of any kind at any time.  There is no such thing as truly finishing a piece of writing, so don't be surprised if you notice something that you didn't see before.

Comments, constructive criticism, and favorites are always welcomed!  If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.

Please contact me if you want to use my work in any way.  I'd be glad to discuss things with you. :D

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HelloHannah265's avatar
When Angelina found out I honestly went nuts (inside, of course)! Ahhhhh I can't wait to find out what happens next! You are literally one of the best writers I know right now! : D